Among the challenges in large scale renewable energy implementation to the grid, namely wind and solar, is storing electricity to balance out the inherent variance in production that comes with these power sources. Enormous batteries owned and operated by the utility companies seems like the obvious solution to this problem, however that up-front financial burden is too much to execute across the entire country, much less globally. A more feasible option, with some help and participation from individuals, is the use of a multitude of small private batteries from houses and electric cars all run and are monitored through a smart grid. A smart grid has different definitions depending on who you ask, but basically it involves two-way communication and electricity flow between the service provider and customer-level devices such as an electric car or home appliances. This means that utility companies can have access to the large storage capacity they require for renewable energy production in the form of a web of little batteries, and individuals have the benefit of buying and selling their stored electricity depending on the demand, which correlates to the price of the electricity. There are many technologies and policies that need to be enacted along with consumers purchasing more electric cars and other smart devices before this system can be actualized, however it is a goal to which steps are already being taken towards.
Written by Galileo Zen